Travel time from San Fernando City to Clark via the Friendship Circumferential Road has been reduced from 30 minutes to just 20 minutes after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officially opened the widened Friendship Bridge in Barangay Anunas, Angeles City.

Completed with a budget of Php 122.5 million under the national government's Build, Build, Build program, the 240-linear meter bridge will serve as a solution to the traffic congestion in the area.

Moreover, it will also provide better mobility and transport for commuters, motorists and businesses. Besides the cities of San Fernando and Angeles, the town of Porac and the Clark Freeport Zone will also benefit from the wider bridge.

The new bridge is made of reinforced concrete deck girder on bored pile foundation. Meanwhile, the approaches from both ends measure a total of 585 meters.

Besides the road widening and construction of the new bridge, the DPWH also rehabilated the existing two-lane bridge on the other side. The metal structures have been repainted with anti-corrosion paint while cracks on the bridge were sealed up. Not only that, the DPWH also applied slope protection, and installed concrete railings, signages and pavement markings on the old bridge.